Three quarters of workers have taken stress-related leave in the past year, what is causing it?

The UK's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has released their annual Health and Wellbeing at Work report for 2023, and it appears that mental health will be the top priority if organisations are to curb the growing average sick days taken.

Absences are up since COVID, but it's not why you think

The mean number of sick days has grown to 7.8 days per person per year, compared to the pre-COVID 5.8-day average. It would be easy to assume that COVID was the highest contributing factor to this figure, but as it turns out, only 50% of workers have attributed their absence to the virus.

By contrast, 76% of respondents said that stress was a factor in their absences over the past year. According to the CIPD's Senior Wellbeing Advisor, Rachel Suff, the cost of living crisis is believed to be one of the significant contributors to this figure.

Presenteeism is still occurring in most workplaces

The report also highlights that 'presenteeism' is still widespread, with a vast majority of people observing this practice in their workplace.

Overall, people feel more optimistic about their physical and mental health in 2023, with over half of the 5000 participants stating that their health is either 'good' or 'very good', not to overshadow the quarter of workers who feel quite the opposite and are looking for better wellness initiatives at work. 

A healthy work-life balance is the primary key to building and maintaining morale in the workplace. A reliable leave management system like Leave Dates will help make time off more accessible to staff and organised for managers. Book an obligation-free demo with our team today and let us simplify your HR.